


Last Hurrah

by mezamun



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Aging, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fear of Death, Friendship, Old Age
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:54:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28328565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mezamun/pseuds/mezamun
Summary: A couple of years after Butterfree left Ash to start a family, he reunited with his former trainer in the Delacora Islands.Roughly a decade later, Ash and his first caught pokemon reflect on their past, and their future. What's ahead isn't always certain, but prospects can glow brighter, when you have a friend by your side.Another Road timeline.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	Last Hurrah

**Author's Note:**

> "Human speech."
> 
> (Pokemon thoughts conveyed through telepathy.)
> 
> It's not focal to this oneshot in itself, so it's sparsely mentioned, but Ash and Butterfree discovered a fanmade Butterfreenite.

Night had fallen over Kanto. Viridian Forest’s skies were dotted with glittering stars, and a full moon that cast a healthy blue glow. A blanket was sprawled out across the cool grass. Ash and Butterfree laid comfortably on their backs, side-by-side.

Beyond the quiet chatter of nocturnal Pokémon, there was a comfortable silence.

“Pretty amazing, huh?” Ash spoke softly, holding the mysterious Mega Stone between his thumb and index finger. The swirl of cool hues glimmered under the moonlight. “I mean, that you still have new heights to climb. Who would’ve thought this was even out there?”

(I never would’ve guessed.) The bug type chattered in his own unique tongue, though his thoughts played in Ash’s head, crystal clear. (I thought that was it. At my age I was sure I’d hit my ceiling.)

A quiet uncomfortable hum was Ash’s response. Butterfree’s age… He didn’t like to think about those limitations. Those didn’t come. They were only a nebulous, far-off thought.

He replaced it with another.

“Hey, speaking of that. I don’t think I’ve ever asked. Have you ever had, like… Your own dream? Something you want to reach?”

Butterfree’s antennae wobbled a bit in thought. (Before I met you… Honestly, not really anything grand.) His segmented red eyes stared up into the full moon. (I remember looking up at a moon like this, with Pikachu. I dreamed of evolving into a big beautiful Butterfree. Gliding on the sky sounded nice, when I was just a little Caterpie.)

“You were pretty happy when you fully evolved.” That memory was marked with unmistakable glee for Ash. His first Pokémon to ever fully evolve; evolving to rescue him, at that. He thought it was the coolest thing he’d ever seen.

(I was! It was… freeing, pardon the pun.)

Ash audibly belly laughed.

“You said that was before you met me. Does that mean…?”

Butterfree sighed, fiddling with his fuzzy hands. (Really, I dreamed of fighting at your side, after that. I wanted us and the others to get strong together. You went on and on about being a Pokémon Master. When you first caught me, I didn’t have much confidence. That kind of dream was exciting to me.)

“I really would’ve liked you to keep fighting with us. But, you know…”

(Don’t get me wrong! Letting me go, that day… Your selflessness meant the world to me. I never forgot it. Crossing the sea to have a family was fantastic. That’s an experience I’ll never regret.)

“Then, it was worth it.”

(Certainly. But, at the same time… What you did make me want to fight by your side even more. I didn’t say it often. I didn’t want to worry Pink. But, she could always tell.) Butterfree uttered high-pitched chatter that sounded like laughter. (She’d say that there was always a certain wistful glow in my eyes.)

Ash listened to his Pokémon intently without interrupting him. He wondered. What it would’ve been like.

(By the time you found me again, I could tell you’d already flown far past me. Pikachu told me you’d won a pokemon league; He told me about all the strong friends you made over the years. He was thrilled; I was thrilled to hear it. But, I couldn’t help but feel like I missed my chance.)

“Hey, that’s not true at all!” Ash protested, hurriedly sitting up. He pursed his lips, his eyebrows knitting low. His eyes were resolute. “I was ready to work with you again, the second we found each other.”

(Don’t get me wrong! I never blamed you. I was really happy for you. We just… chose different paths.)

“They came back together.” Ash sat up, legs crossed. “We got back to training, didn’t we? After the Kalos league. You got a whole lot stronger, with us. I was really proud of you…” He’d smile, masking the stress evident in his eyes. A hand reached to rest atop Butterfree’s head.

“I still am.”

Butterfree nuzzled his head into Ash’s hand. (You’re golden, you know that?) 

The bug laid back on the blanket, staring off into space. Ash’s denial said a lot. As much as he’d grown up into an upstanding adult, he was still very much a kid at heart. Butterfree envied that innocence. He envied that feeling of invincibility.

His species wasn’t exactly known for its longevity.

He drank in the image of the full moon over his head. A Caterpie blooming into a grand Butterfree… He did miss that longing. Maybe… Maybe Ash’s youthful optimism was just what he needed.

(I’m not getting any younger, Ash.)

“Hey, that’s not true!” Ash scooped up Butterfree, challenging his gaze. “So, things have been a little slow on the ranch. Maybe you’ve been in a slump. That doesn’t mean you can’t get back on track. I can put you first on rotation, we can get you on a special diet… you’ll be glowing in no time! You hear me, Butterfree?”

He felt the sting of tears running down his cheeks. Butterfree’s eyes, though… they looked as though his mind was elsewhere. Wasn’t this when they had a big, inspiring turn-around?

The bug’s silence left a lump in Ash’s throat.

One of Butterfree’s antennae fell to gently tap Ash’s head.

(It’s okay.)

Ash sniffled. His lips hadn’t stopped quivering. “Isn’t there anything I can do for you?”

(There is. I do have a favor to ask you.)

“Anything.”

(I’m getting older, Ash… maybe I got ahead of myself when I said I’d missed my chance, before. But, if I don’t take it now, it really will be too late.) His red eyes turned back towards the moon, its glowing surface reflected off his hues.

(...I want one big, last hurrah. I want to shine together. So the whole region can see it. I want what we didn’t get to have, on your journey.) Butterfree flapped his wings, floating before Ash. (I want us to excel, together, with my new Mega Evolution. I was your first caught pokemon… I want to live up to that. Can we do that together, Ash?)

“Butterfree…” Ash swallowed a sob, and grabbed Butterfree’s hands. “Yes. Of course, we can! We’ll show Kanto - no - the world what you can do! We’ll find what makes Mega Butterfree tick. Then, everyone’ll see your potential. It won’t be too late.” His thumbs tenderly gripped the pokemon’s small, fuzzy hands. “That’s a promise.”

Pale, webbed wings embraced Ash, as Butterfree fluttered into his trainer’s arms.

(I’m glad my life led me to you.)

Not once, but twice.

“I am too, Butterfree.”


End file.
